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I have lived in Arizona my entire life. I’ve grown up with blazing hot summers, tumbleweeds and more saguaros than you could possibly tally up on a road trip. The gorgeous desert, golden sunrise and real western movie sets have always been a part of my daily routine. But naturally, you grow up thinking about the greener grass on the other side and fall is something I always wanted to experience. Changing colors, jumping in leaves and tall boots on brisk morning walks simply don’t happen in central Arizona. Instead, we are wearing shorts and flip flops and spending afternoons at the pool. The picture perfect fall images on every beautiful home decor blog and in the magazines showing up in my mailbox look incredible but I’ve grown a deep appreciation for desert living and have found ways to enjoy fall in the desert too. We just moved into a new home last weekend and I’m so in love with our neighborhood. Our parks and walking paths lead directly to the mountains with the most incredible morning and evening desert views from our window. This fall season I’m savoring every wonderful moment while sipping my way through the season on Bigelow Tea from Walmart.
10 Ways to Enjoy Fall in the Desert
watch the sunrise
I took a short walk this morning to watch the sunrise over the mountains and it was spectacular. It is still warm during the day but there’s that slight change of air that makes these morning walks feel different and the view can’t be beat.
enjoy your neighborhood parks
My daughters ask to walk to the park 150 times a day. I’m really not exaggerating. With temperatures just starting to dip below 100, fall is our favorite time of year to play outside. Our new home has a nearby park where we’ve been spending hours playing everyday.
look for wildlife
You’re not the only ones enjoying this great weather. Pay attention to your surroundings while outside and you might be surprised by what you might spot. Last year while staying at the Ritz-Carlton Dove-Mountain resort in Tucson, two javelinas walked by us while exploring the resort. Growing up in Arizona, I’m well educated on the dangers of our desert wildlife; be careful, rattlesnakes don’t like to be surprised by people.
tea proudly
Bigelow Tea has always been a favorite in our home. With so many different varieties to choose from, a warm cup is a favorite part of my fall routine. Bigelow tea is a three generation family business with tea grown and manufactured in the United States. Their tea is packaged in foil with the best ingredients for ultimate freshness. Open a Bigelow tea bag and you immediately see and smell the difference. If I drink Bigelow tea, I tea proudly.
See the changing colors
We might not see leaves change colors during the fall here but we do have a big variety of cacti. Blue, brown, green and even purple can be found. Make it fun and go on a cactus color treasure hunt with your children.
Make a craft
Whether it’s a fall tree craft with your children or something to decorate your home, seasonal crafts help us enjoy fall in the desert.
Bake with fall flavors
It’s still warm out but when your home smells like fall, the mood changes. Try making these yummy Easy Vanilla Chai Waffles for breakfast this week.
Wear fall accessories
This one’s always tough for me. It’s 90 degrees out but I want to be wearing over the knee boots and sweaters. During the early fall season before our temperatures really start to change I wear fall accessories instead like tees with a light scarf or brown and orange shades of nail polish.
Watch the sunset
Just as incredible as the sun rising over the Arizona mountains, our sunset is one you need to witness too.
Cozy up to a fall movie
Fall movies with a warm cup of tea before bed are a great reminder that even though your fall in the desert might not be full of changing leaves and fuzzy sweaters, it’s still beautiful and definitely should be enjoyed.
Do you Tea Proudly in the fall too?
I always purchase my Bigelow tea at Walmart for the biggest and best variety including fall favorites like Pumpkin Spice.
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How interesting it must be to grow up experiencing fall one way, but then to see it play out on TV another way. I live in New England, so where I am looks like the movies. (Sometimes!) I love your ideas for embracing fall. They are good to keep in mind for any season. Fall flavored tea will certainly get you in the mood, too! Pumpkin spice is delish indeed! #client
I am over here dying that your fall is nearly 100 degrees! We don’t even get that hot in the summer 🙂 WOW.
I’ve never been to Arizona but I’ve always wanted to go. I can’t, however, imagine fall in the desert even though I know it happens! I’m on the coast of North Carolina and am homesick for Tennessee just so I can see the leaves changing! But I’d settle for a colorful cactus 🙂 Great post!
I’ve never really thought about it, but I’m in Florida, and we aren’t the only ones that don’t get to actually see fall. Being in the dessert you don’t either! These are all great ways to take in fall.
I’m not a big tea drinker. Coffee’s much more my thing. I’m in a warmer climate like you. Well, not quite as warm as Arizona, but warmer. And I’ll drink tea from time to time as the weather gets cooler. There’s something really nice about anything warming as the weather cools down.
It would be interesting to have to come up with new fall traditions that aren’t so related to weather. I hadn’t really thought about it.
Fall in the dessert actually looks beautiful to me. I am from Florida so we have a very different Fall as well. For us, fall is more like hurricane season and hot and humid, but you come up with different ways to enjoy it.
I grew up in southern Nevada, where we say the four seasons seasons are hot, road construction, really hot, and snow. But I live in Tennessee now and it turns out fall actually is a different season. It’s amazing. Lol.
These are all beautiful ideas. Who needs the cold weather to enjoy Fall when you can still do a lot of things! Especially when you’re spending time with the whole family.
Aww, is that a collared peccary (javelina) in one of your photos? I’ve only ever seen them in TX but I know they are in other SW states too – my daughters LOVE them and are obsessed with them!
Sounds great to me! Never been anywhere in the US and the desert sounds just lovely to me. I also love tea so I think I’d fit right in!
It must definitely be a different way of life out there. You def have some great tips though!
Neighborhood parks are a great way to enjoy any community. I love to learn about other places so I can add them to my bucket list of places to visit.
I’ve heard many good things about Arizona. I’ve never seen purple color cactus before so I’m intrigued to visit this place.
Those purple cactuses are beautiful. I’ve never been to the desert, but interesting to read that so many of my favorite fall comforts hold true in the desert as well. Hard to beat the heartwarming impact of some fall baking, too.
So many great ways to enjoy fall! I’m from the midwest so we have full blown fall every season with leaves changing color and everything. I’m a big fan of tea so cozying up with a cup of tea in the fall/winter is definitely one of my favorite things.
It is similar in California!! Its a great reminder that we need to appreciate the season no matter where our location is!
These are all such great ideas, love it! I am a huge fan of the Bigelow teas too…YUM!!
These are some great ideas to enjoy fall. I love the idea of drinking tea in the fall season. Will be so perfect with the chilly weather.
The only time I’ve ever been to Arizona, it’s been the middle of July for family reunions, which, as far as I’m concerned is the worst possible time to visit the southeast. I’d love to visit in the fall when the temperatures are a bit more hospitable.
*southwest 😉
Hold up — vanilla chai WAFFLES????! How did I never hear of those before? They sound delicious and I must make them for breakfast this weekend!
I have an aunt that lives in the desert in New Mexico. She has mentioned about the wildlife that she sees regularly, especially the rattlesnakes. While I’m not a fan of snakes, it would be cool to see other wildlife!
Whilst it might be strange for you to see a different looking autumn in other parts of the county, it sounds as though you still have an amazing season! That tea sounds great 🙂